Jimmy Vasser makes his return to Champ Car action this week, as he
comes out of retirement for the 34th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long
Beach. Vasser will be making his 16th appearance on the streets of Long Beach.
In 15 previous starts he has posted 10 top-10 finishes, including five top-
five showings with three podiums and a victory in 1996. He holds the series
record for consecutive Champ Car starts, with 211. This will be the final race
of the Champ Car World Series and the finale for Vasser. Champ Car and the
Indy Racing League signed an agreement in February to unify open-wheel racing.

Last season, Sebastien Bourdais completed the three-peat, as he dominated
the race, leading 70 of the 74 laps. Bourdais, who started on the pole, led
for the first 47 laps and the final 23, as he cruised to a whopping 14.096
seconds victory over Justin Wilson. With his three consecutive wins, Bourdais
joined Al Unser Jr. as the only drivers to win this race three straight
seasons. Unser Jr. was a six-time champion of this race in 15 starts from
1984-98 and won the event four consecutive years (1988-91). Unser Jr. finished
in the top-three nine times and in the top-10 12 times while leading 545 laps.

Michael Andretti took the last win of his ChampCar career when he outfoxed
polesitter Vasser and scored his 42nd career victory in 2002. Andretti
previously won the race in 1986. The 16-year gap between victories is the
longest in ChampCar history. Michael's win in 1986 was the closest in Long
Beach history, when he edged Al Unser Jr. by 0.380 of a second. Mario Andretti
earned three victories at the 1.968-mile temporary street course (1984, 1985,
1987) and one during Formula One days (1977). In his 19 appearances in Long
Beach, Mario posted five top-three finishes and 10 top-10's.

This week's race will mark the debut for Juho Annala in the Champ Car World
Series. Annala completed 165 laps at 2.38 miles per lap for a total of 392
miles of trouble free running at MSR Houston during a two-day test. Annala is
the third driver from Finland to compete in open-wheel racing in the United
States, joining Mika Salo and J.J. Lehto. The Rocketsports Racing team will
make its 74th start in Champ Car history.